Permanence
by kokoronagomu
Summary: Childcare in the Sengoku Jidai. A conversation of sorts... I/K --standard disclaimers


**Permanence**

--or-- Childcare in the Sengoku Jidai

After the initial excitement of the girl's return calmed, InuYasha got his chance to speak with her in relative privacy—as private as one could get with a few dozen people spying from the bushes.

There had been some discussion as to wedding arrangements since, although it would be appropriate for an untitled man to simply move his wife-to-be into his hut without any official ceremony, they had decided that it would probably be prudent for InuYasha to officially marry her before moving her into his hut. The villagers presently believed him to be a hero, but public opinion was a fickle thing.

Later that night

Keade's hut was a shambles—not so much a shambles but there were bodies laying all around. Rin and Keade were asleep on their pallets; Sango and Miroku's twins were snuggled on both sides of Rin. Miroku was asleep against the wall next to his wife while Kagome and Sango were talking quietly in the corner, Kagome stroking the fine hairs on the baby's head.

Their conversation about the highlights of what had happened those three years after the well had deposited her into the arms of her mother then sucked InuYasha back to their time was winding down when the baby started fussing. Taking him from Kagome's arms, Sango brought him to her breast to the fascination of the other girl.

"What is that like?" Kagome whispered.

"What is what like Kagome-chan, to suckle a baby?" Sango inquired and at the other girl's nod she looked puzzled, "Kagome, in your country don't all the women and older daughters help out in watching and nurturing the babies in the families?"

"Of course they do."

"Then why is it that you had never held a baby to your breast?"

"Um, because I've never had a baby…?"

"If you were watching a friend's or family member's baby while she bathed and the babe started fussing would you not suckle him until the mother was finished?"

"Oh no, I would give him a bottle, or a pacifier."

Sango looked at her as if she had just sprouted another head, "A—what?" she exclaimed quietly, but then added, "I believe I know what a bottle is, when there is an animal that won't suckle or if it's mother dies, we will obtain milk to feed it until it is able to eat on its own—but there is no need to bottle feed an infant when the mother is only in the bath. What is that other thing you mentioned, a… pacifier?"

"It's like an artificial nipple we give the baby to suck on until we get the bottle ready or when the mother is available if she breast feeds."

"An—artificial—nipple… why would one use that if we have two perfectly good ones already? –and why would a mother not breast feed her own children?"

"Some people just don't want to or it's just too inconvenient or messy…"

"So they pay a wet nurse or they have slaves to suckle…"

"No, no, they just feed the baby with a bottle.

"I know from experience that preparing a bottle is more inconvenient and messy than pulling your kimono aside and giving suck." she reasoned as she popped her nipple from the boy's mouth, patted his back a bit until he belched and put him to her other breast. "So then, I assume you have never comforted your brother or any other relatives' or friends' babies by allowing them to suckle until the mother was available again?"

"No, things aren't done that way in my time—well—maybe in other places, but not where I'm from." Kagome explained. "I guess it would really make sense here and now though."

"During planting and harvest times, the older grandmothers and suckling mothers will watch all of the village children, it frees the younger women to work in the fields, and even Keade-sama has given suck when she's had to." Sango explained.

Kagome looked thoughtful for a moment, "I've read that female lions all have cubs at the same time so that only one of the females has to stay and feed all of the cubs when the rest hunt—they take turns every time."

"Yes, it's like that. So if I asked you to help me with the children while I make Kohaku a batch of smoke pellets, will you have a problem? Normally I would have asked Yua-chan, but she recently was married and moved away. It won't take long—I mean, I already have the shells made—I only have to mix the powder and fill them?"

"Keh—you tell me when you're going to mix that shit Sango, so I can be far away when ya do it." InuYasha proclaimed in a whisper as he came in from patrolling the perimeter of the village, and then he sat down next to Kagome.

"Then you can help with the children while Miroku and I finish the batch and get cleaned up—I don't anticipate any problems. I'll make sure everyone's fed, and we'll finish as quickly as possible."

"Keh."

Kagome's eyes were wide as she glanced from InuYasha to Sango's breast and back again— "S—Sango…"

"Kagome…?" Sango answered looking up puzzled and seeing Kagome's 'meaningful' nod, she looked down, then up at InuYasha, and then to Kagome, "Oh—ooohhh…" giggling she stated matter-of-factly, "I would be more embarrassed if I had two perfectly functioning breasts but _chose_ to feed my babies with a bottle."

"O—okay…" Kagome stuttered a bit overwhelmed, but determined that she would have to quit being so sensitive to what was considered normal in her new _permanent_ home.

It was a few minutes later when one of the twins had started whining, but at Sango's 'shushing' she stood up, looked at her mother. Emi blinked to clear her sight, noticed her brother at her mother's breast and with her lip quivering, she looked around. She noticed her new favorite aunt sitting by her InuY-oji and decided 'K'gome-oba would do just fine.

Guessing what was about to happen, Sango whispered, "InuYasha, you're going to have to help her."

"Keh." InuYasha scooped a startled Kagome up onto his lap, lifted his arms to Emi and cooed, "Come'ere little one."

Emi made her way over to the waiting couple, climbed onto Kagome's lap, and started to tug at her sweater, insistently whining.

"You're going to have to lift your sweater and unhook your bra. The girls usually sleep through the night, but sometimes…" Sango shrugged, "she only wants to be comforted, she probably won't suckle long."

"Wha…?"

"It's all right Kagome, I ain't gonna watch—after seein' shit like this all the time for the past four years I was accepted in this village, it don't embarrass me anymore. Hell, the only reason you never seen them feedin' their brats, is you were always goin' home while we were stuck here." InuYasha soothed—or tried to as Kagome reluctantly complied.

"Thank you, InuYasha—I think…" Kagome mumbled, then looked at Sango.

"I thought that since Ichirou was born, the girls would already have been weaned?" Kagome asked as InuYasha put his arm around hers to help support Emi's head.

"If they're disturbed by a nightmare, if they're too tired to go to sleep, if they're sick, or if they get hurt—suckling is one of the ways to soothe them." Sango explained smiling.

"Emi and Aiko will surely go to you for comfort if I'm busy with their brother—they still feel a little jealous of him."

Kagome giggled softly, "It tickles!"

InuYasha chuckled, burying his nose into the hair at her neck.

Sango laughed quietly, "When you suckle Ichirou, you won't be saying that—he will suck much harder, although—once you're married I believe you'll get used to it," she teased with a smirk and a sly wink.

Kagome's wide eyes and panicked "Eek!" was the obvious response to the relatively loud groan that came from the hanyou whose face was concealed in her hair.

* * *

Author's notes:

~An article on 'breastfeeding rights' in the U.S. with links to a forum that addresses the attitudes of people toward breastfeeding in other lands, please remove the spaces:

007b. com/breastfeeding_public. php

~All names can be found at:

behindthename. com

Also, a 'shout out' to Inu Hanyou Nikkie –Thanks love, for the kick in the pants and for the great suggestions! *hugs*


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